Sandra Cavanagh
Sandra Cavanagh · Source: New York Artists Circle · Rights retained by the original rights holders
- Medium
- Graphite, Ink, Oil Paint, Paper, Watercolor
- Practice
- Painting, Printmaking, Works on Paper
Sandra Cavanagh was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her early life was pitched on a growing awareness of the prevailing political instability, an overbearing patriarchal society and the dangers of state sanctioned bruta… Full biography
Biography
Sandra Cavanagh was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her early life was pitched on a growing awareness of the prevailing political instability, an overbearing patriarchal society and the dangers of state sanctioned brutality and censorship. Cavanagh read Social Sciences at the University of Belgrano, emigrated to California and later to the UK. She is a Fine Art graduate from K.I.A.D, University of Kent. Since 2010 she's worked and resided in New York City.
Cavanagh's work has been exhibited at various venues, including the Hudson Valley Museum of Contemporary Art, Pen & Brush, Gallery 14C, and Westbeth Gallery in New York; Miami National Fine Arts in Florida; and Museo Limen in Italy. In November 2025, she will have a solo exhibition at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
She has participated in notable exhibitions such as Aqua Art Miami and the Every Woman Biennale at La Mama Galleria. Her art has received recognition, including the Waave New York Women's Art Month Award in 2025 and being a finalist for the Women United Art Prize in 2023. Most recently, she has been awarded the 2025 Jackson Art Prize Oil Award and Homien’s Spring 2025 Art Prize.
Cavanagh's practice has been featured in several publications, including the covers of Create! Magazine and Feminist Space Journal, as well as interviews with Women in the Arts Network, Contemporary Art Collectors, and the Women United Art Prize. Additionally, her work has been highlighted in publications such as The Jersey Journal, Epicenter NYC, Visual Arts Journal, and The Anti-Misogyny Journal.
Artist statement
I sustain a mostly narrative focus in reaction to current and historical narratives, including my own. Recent global events have led me to considerations of mortality and loss of innocence in transgenerational stories, the usefulness of art’s centuries old regard of myth, foundational stereotypes and the mundane occurrence of violence. I maintain a consistent practice and have developed a large portfolio of work including paintings, drawings and prints. Interested in the pairing of form and message, and formal variations on a theme, I have worked in series to personify war ideologies, human rights violations, and displacement.
